Affair of the Wolves

He walked towards the mahogany desk and seated himself on the corner. Extending his long muscular legs, he crossed his arms in what could only be interpreted as an aggressive posture. He stared at her through dark and intense eyes that brooked no argument or excuses. For the first time since meeting him, Maiko understood his reputation as a dangerous man. At that moment, he looked as forbidding and uncontrollable as the magazine and Internet articles had painted him.

"I thought you would want to know," Maiko said in what she hoped was a confident tone. Her nerves were on edge, and she clutched at her control with every bit of fortitude she possessed.

He appeared to hesitate but then pushed away from the desk. He crossed the room in two strides and clasped her by the shoulders. "You thought I'd want to know," he said sharply. The heat and strength of his hands sent an exciting chill down her arms to her toes. "If I had known last night about the call, I would have personally dragged you away."

Maiko was startled by his outburst. An emotion she hadn't felt in some time made her head spin.

"Kiba," she stammered. She was suddenly riding a roller coaster of swirling emotions which threatened to leave her drained and oddly euphoric.

"Do you know how I felt when I heard that the bastard was threatening you?" His fingers tightened about her arms as though he feared she would try to escape him. "I sent one of our security people to your house this morning, but you had already left."

"I had some important research I needed to do."

"Nothing is more important than your safety," he ground out. He gave her shoulders a gentle shake. "You should have called me last night."

"Kiba, please," she said breathlessly. "You're making more of this than you should. I have to admit I was scared at first, but then I locked all the windows and doors."

She decided to leave out the part where she slept with her closet light on.

"That's not the point," he argued. "You should have…"

Maiko placed a hand against his chest in an attempt to soothe his rising distress. The movement stopped Kiba's outburst like water to a fire. Their eyes locked, emerald green into tree bark brown and she felt herself yearning to step across that invisible line.

"I went to The Archives this morning to dig through some archived papers," she said softly. It was getting hard to breathe.

"What were you looking for?" Kiba asked. He loosened his grip and began to smooth his palms over her arms.

"I…I went through some newspaper articles that referenced Uchiha, Rasengan Technologies and the Hirashen Project." She breathed to clear her head, but only succeeded in inhaling the sexy scent of Kiba's aftershave, like the forest after a thunderstorm. "I think there's a correlation with Uchiha and Rasengan Technologies."

He leaned in closer, the heat and strength of him luring her into forbidden ground with the sexy smile of a man destined to be satisfied.

"Maiko," he whispered. His voice deepening to a husky timbre. "I want to hear all about what you found at The Archives this morning," he continued as he began to draw her closer. "However…at the moment another problem is demanding my attention."

Maiko felt her stomach flip. He was so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. "What problem?"

His hands slid around her waist and eased her closer. "The problem," he said smoothly, "is that you are becoming a distraction I can't afford." His eyes flicked down to her mouth. The warmth melted through her until it settled low in her belly. A sweet ache began to attack her resistance.

"I've wanted you since you leapt into the elevator." Kiba's voice was deep and tempting and wildly intoxicating. His hand found the small of her back and pressed gently. "I'm thinking it's about time I act on that impulse."

Maiko placed both palms flat against the hard plains of his chest. She intended to push him away, but she only felt the thundering beat of his heart. The thought of how he might look without of barriers of shirt, tie, and suit flooded her mind. Her strength wavered and dropped another notch.

"Maybe we should talk about this," she said weakly.

Maiko made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. A jolt of recognition snapped between them. There was nothing to discuss. She could no longer be sensible and cautious. The needed to feel, the desire to discover was too strong. Succumbing to the wave of sensation, she surrendered to the moment.

His mouth came down on hers, crushing her lips in a wild maelstrom neither could deny. In that moment, everything that had come before and would be her future disappeared into oblivion. The only thing that mattered was the buried passion that bloomed beneath Kiba's questing mouth.

Desperation became deeper and slowly dissolved into a soft mingling of breath and yearning need. She was suddenly aware of a change in Kiba and sensed the control he exhibited to contain it. The velvet vice made her ache for more. She did not want him to hold back.

Maiko threaded her fingers through his thick hair, inviting him to drink of the wine of desire she offered. Nothing had prepared her for such an explosive reaction to any man. She felt her world tip as Kiba lifted her against him and pivoted to the desk.

"You are going to be the death of me," he growled in her ear.

Maiko could not find her voice. She was simply grateful for the powerful but gentle arms that kept her from crumpling to the floor. She slid her hands into the lapels of his jacket. His muscles bunched as he prepared to lift her to the edge of his rich mahogany desk.

A distant ring sounded somewhere, but Maiko couldn't seem to focus. Within seconds, the ring resonated again. This time the steadfast buzz penetrated the cloud of want. The last ring of Kiba's telephone doused their mutual passion like ice water.

"Oh, my goodness," Maiko gasped.

What in the world was she doing? There was only one explanation. Lack of sleep must have robbed her of good sense. She retrieved her hands from behind Kiba's broad back. Maiko stumbled in an attempt to regain her footing. Her backside bumped against the corner of the desk.

Kiba took hold of her shoulders. "Careful or you'll have us both hitting the floor." His breathing was labored, but his touch was firm and controlled. 'How did he do that?' she wondered, mildly irritated.

"What am I doing?" Maiko muttered. She swiped a hand through her bright scarlet hair and tucked a strand behind her ear.

The ringing phone wouldn't stop. The sound was like cannon fire in the all but silent room. Maiko chanced a glance up to Kiba and met a smug grin.

"Maiko," he said smoothly. He traced the pad of his thumb along her delicate jaw. "Nothing happened. It was just a kiss."

The simple statement did not allay Maiko's distress. A flicker of annoyance quickly grew to irritation.

"What do you mean it was only a kiss?" Lack of sleep also had a tendency to make her unreasonable at the worst times. "I don't think you have a..."

Just then a kind looking young woman with long black, almost blue hair, pale lavender eyes, and a shy smile entered. She wore a conservative ivory suit with a pink blouse underneath.

"Excuse me, Mr. Inuzuka. You're needed in the conference room in five." Said Kiba's secretary Hinata.

"Thank you, Hinata." Kiba said smirking at the blush on her cheeks," Oh, and Hinata?"

"Yes, Mr. Inuzuka?" She asked, blushing an ever darker shade of red as she noted the gleam in his otherwise emotionless eyes.

"Please refrain from using the company phones to talk to Naruto, He's supposed to be working and we have a deadline to meet." He spoke so flippantly that Maiko thought he might be joking. At least she would if she didn't notice the twinkle of mischief in his eyes.